Devon/Oxford Evening Rangers withdrawn from January

[whole diary]

[plymothian]

From January, the Devon Evening Ranger and the Oxford Evening Out Ranger are being withdrawn from sale. 

At the same time the use of a CDR^▸ (Off Peak Day Return [ticket type] (formerly 'Cheap Day')) as a replacement for the withdrawn Devon and Cornwall branchline rangers is being stopped.

[Richard Fairhurst]

That's a great shame. Any justification offered?

The Oxford Evening Out would have been more of a success if it was ever promoted, or indeed if you could buy it from ticket machines. Oxford gateline staff did once refuse to sell one to me for an 'outbound' journey, saying it could only be bought from the country stations, which smelt like unadulterated horse dung (the claim, not the stations).

[didcotdean]

Sadly my prediction that the OEO^▸ (One Engine Only (class 43 HSTs with problems), or Oxford Evening Out (ticket), depending on context) would be the next ranger to go from back in May has come off.

I get the feeling GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) today in general considers rangers and rover tickets obsolete relics from the past. I can't remember seeing any promotion of these at Didcot Parkway for 10 years or more.

[bobm]

I am not sure GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) do regard rovers and rangers in that light.   For a few years it has been possible to buy them on line and its website remains one of the few places you can buy the All Line Rover without going to a station. 

They also produce a leaflet on the range of tickets available which has been updated a few times over the years.  I saw a copy in the racks at Paddington this week.

[grahame]

I am not sure GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) do regard rovers and rangers in that light.   ...

From working with GWR and being involved in some rover promotional stuff - yes, they are interested but have far bigger fish to fry, and limited resource to market them.   There are opportunities to be taken .. and at least some of the team there are very much aware ...

[didcotdean]

I would be more convinced of their interest though if they started being creative. I'm sure there are some or many existing that they consider useful in the leisure market more so probably the further west you go, and where they aren't the main or sole operator, but this is the second long-standing one removed in Oxfordshire within a year. Although the non-participation of Chiltern and XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) in most of the local rangers/rovers (in some cases where former FGW^▸ (First Great Western) services did) hasn't helped their use either.

[grahame]

From The Oxford Mail

OXFORD’S nightlife could take a hit after a cheaper evening train ticket was quietly scrapped.

The ‘evening out’ return has long been treated as a less expensive option for those travelling into the city from Banbury and intervening stations but passengers have found the ticket is no longer available since January.

Chris Manley, who used to pay £2.90 for the fare with a railcard, now has to pay £6.80 every time - a rise of nearly 135 per cent.

[grahame]

That's a great shame. Any justification offered?

The Oxford Evening Out would have been more of a success if it was ever promoted, or indeed if you could buy it from ticket machines.

Better late than never ...a couple of us were at Swindon today discussing the new Great West Way Explorer tickets, and the Oxford Evening Out came us as a Side discussion.  This "where can you get it" issue had become a problem; the TVMs^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) can't do rangers / rovers, most of the smaller stations you would travel into Oxford from are unstaffed, and there' some DOO^▸ (Driver-Only Operation (that is, trains which operate without carrying a guard)) stuff about, together with longer trains that the train manager doesn't  routinely get through on your short journey, so the ticket needs to be purchased at station (TVM) for the most part.

Oxford gateline staff did once refuse to sell one to me for an 'outbound' journey, saying it could only be bought from the country stations, which smelt like unadulterated horse dung (the claim, not the stations).

Aroma confirmed ... but they weren't popular with Oxford Gateline staff.

I wonder how an "evening return" fare to Oxford that TVMs could sell would do.  Thoughts?

I would be more convinced of their interest though if they started being creative. ....

Good to see the "Great West Way Explorer"s coming through then 

[didcotdean]

Presumably give it a year or two and they will be all available on GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) touch smartcard

(Well we can hope dream.)

[Reginald25]

On Friday was travelling between Didcot, Oxford and Banbury using a Oxfordshire Rover. It failed to operate any of the gates automatically. I've seen this in previous years on other Rovers (e.g. Valleys Rover). There does seem to be a programming error somehwere here.

[Richard Fairhurst]

I wonder how an "evening return" fare to Oxford that TVMs^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) could sell would do.  Thoughts?

Very well, I think, and there is precedent for it. Further west along the Cotswold Line, there are "Evening Fare Day Returns" which allow you to do (say) Honeybourne to Worcester after 6pm for a very reasonable price, or even Moreton to Hereford. I think these fares were introduced in coordination with London Midland (as was) who, under their new WMR^» (West Midlands Railway - website) incarnation, offer something similar: https://www.westmidlandsrailway.co.uk/tickets-fares/£250-evening-return

That said, I wonder if it would still encounter the ticket machine problem. The TVM at Charlbury still won't suggest a Super Off-Peak Return to Paddington at the appropriate hours. Last time we discussed this, ChrisB observed that "presently, it only has two settings - peak & off-peak (whatever time that is at the station location of the TVM) - thus can't cope with the valid time of the super off-peak, nor that evening out ticket". Presumably an evening return would encounter the same issue. The machine does seem to have some sort of recent software update - it now has a rather unfetching white-on-grey user interface, replacing the previous FGW^▸ (First Great Western)-themed colours - so maybe this will eventually permit that...?

If the Boundary Zone case (in another thread) succeeds, it may set interesting precedents!

[grahame]

I wonder how an "evening return" fare to Oxford that TVMs^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) could sell would do.  Thoughts?

Very well, I think, and there is precedent for it. ...

 

The TVM at Charlbury still won't suggest a Super Off-Peak Return to Paddington at the appropriate hours. Last time we discussed this, ChrisB observed that "presently, it only has two settings - peak & off-peak (whatever time that is at the station location of the TVM) - thus can't cope with the valid time of the super off-peak, nor that evening out ticket".

The TVM at Charlbury Melksham still won't suggest a Super Off-Peak Return to Paddington at the appropriate hours. ... you have to 'dig' for it

I'm going to write that on the other thread over the next 48 hours - there's more to this story

[grahame]

The TVM^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) at Charlbury still won't suggest a Super Off-Peak Return to Paddington at the appropriate hours. Last time we discussed this, ChrisB observed that "presently, it only has two settings - peak & off-peak (whatever time that is at the station location of the TVM) - thus can't cope with the valid time of the super off-peak, nor that evening out ticket".

The TVM at Charlbury Melksham still won't suggest a Super Off-Peak Return to Paddington at the appropriate hours. ... you have to 'dig' for it

I'm going to write that on the other thread over the next 48 hours - there's more to this story

See http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/21141

[ChrisB]

Where I have put a post re what has to happen (and it won't be anytime soon ether)